Kyrgyzstan resumes water supply to Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan has resumed the supply of water from Uch-Kurgan hydro-electric powerplant to Kazakhstan in the amount of 350 cubic meters per second, Tengrinews reports citing the press office of Electricheskie Stancii JSC.

Kazakhstan requested Kyrgyzstan to resume the supply of water to maintain the Integrated Power System of Central Asia operational during the fall and winter seasons in 2014-2015, to provide for the irrigation needs of Kazakhstan and to enable accumulation of water in Toktogul water reservoirs amid lack of electric energy export.

Kazakhstan requested the water supply of 390 million cubic meters per second in exchange for provision electric power supply in the amount of up to one billion kilowatt per hour to cover Kyrgyzstan's deficit during the heating period in winter. The countries still have to negotiate the price and the amounts, through.

Earlier, to avoid deficit Kyrgyzstan had to import electricity from Tajikistan at 2 cents per kilowatt per hour.

This is not the only Kazakh-Kyrgyz water channel that is short of water this year. Kyrgyzstan has been significantly reducing the water supply against the agreed amounts since summer, allegedly because its own water reserves are low. In July, 2014 the supply of water to Kazakhstan was decreased by more than a half due to a low-flow period. According to the Water Resources Department of Kyrgyzstan, the country has already used up around 70% of the irrigation water from its water reservoirs.